Stay With Me

I happened across this book at the library and just picked it up for fun. Oh my goodness, I am so glad I picked it up. At first I wasn't sure I could get into it because the writing style is a bit different, and honestly Mack's character is a bit difficult to follow, but I caught on quickly and then could not put the book down!

Mack and Cece are not your average 15 year olds. Mack is way ahead in his years and Cece thinks she has ESP. When they meet they are instantly drawn to each other and quickly fall in love. Even though they are so young, their love is believable and real. The way Mr. Griffin writes these characters is flawless. Mack has a learning disability and has a hard time making eye contact with people, yet he is incredibly smart. His character takes awhile to get used to, but the reader can't help but root for him the entire book. He makes mistakes and has to pay for them and it's heartbreaking to read. But, I really enjoyed reading a love story that wasn't cookie cutter cute and perfect, but real. Cece is extremely smart and falls for Mack right away. And honestly, she seems like a bit of an over eater (at least with cheesecake) so I could totally relate to her! Cece has a not so normal life herself. Her older brother is the local hero and her mom is an alcoholic. Yet, her family is still very close and make time for each other. I really appreciated that. Her family could have been selfish, but even with all their problems their love for each other still came out in the story.

I don't want to give away the tragedy of the story, but if you enjoy reading love stories that aren't "perfect" and have quite a bit of drama and heartache, this is your book. I had never read anything by Paul Griffin before, but I will be on the look out for his other books because I really enjoyed his writing style.